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This book is part of the “One Minute Manager” collection and gives great insight and guidelines on how to be time efficient and have a control on your work. This book is told in a captivating narrative of a struggling manager who never seemed to have enough time while his people always do. The manager finally got so frustrated he called his friend the “one minute manager” for some advice. The manager told him that he needed to get rid of the “monkeys” that belonged to other people. In this conversation, “monkey” quite simply means “the next move.”
Oncken delivers a great “Managing Management’s Time Seminar”…no that isn’t backwards. It really is about “Managing Management’s Time”, not simply time management. In the seminar, Oncken outlines the following four rules:
Rule 1: Describe the monkey: The dialogue between a manager and team member must not end until appropriate next moves have been identified and specified.
Rule 2: Assign the monkey: All monkeys shall be owned and handled at the lowest organizational level consistent with their welfare. Often, this is not with the manager; however, many managers get promoted because they “get things done”, so they want to take on the monkey…
Rule 3: Insure the monkey: Every monkey leaving your presence on the back of one of your people must be covered by one of two insurance policies:
- Recommend, Then act
- Act, Then advise
Rule 4: Check on the monkey: Proper follow-up means healthier monkeys. Every monkey should have a check-up appointment. In other words, managers can’t just leave their people with “next moves” and walk away. Follow-up guidance is needed to make sure the right results are produced.
As Oncken and the book point out, using these simple rules help you gain more control of your own time. Rather than working on every problem in the office, you will have your employees doing most of the work while you check in now and then to find out how they’re doing. In the long run, other people—despite their apparent resistance—will respect you and even love you if you help bring out the best in them. One of the key themes of the book is that the best way to develop responsibility in people is to give them responsibility!
Following Oncken’s rules will not only help you get better at managing your time, but it will also give you credibility as you coach your employees to solve their problems on their own. They will find the work to be more rewarding, boosting their morale and commitment to your leadership.
If you have not read the book, make it a Monkey Day resolution to pick up a copy and read it!